FAST FOOD NEWS: McDonald’s Old Bay Filet-O-Fish

Starting on February 16, more than 700 McDonald’s restaurants in Maryland, Virginia, D.C., Delaware, and West Virginia will be offering the Old Bay Filet-O-Fish for a limited time. The sandwich will feature an Old Bay-flavored tartar sauce, along with the usual fish filet, slice of American cheese, and bun.

For those of you not familiar with Old Bay Seasoning, it’s a blend of herbs and spices popular in the mid-Atlantic states, where it’s used to season crab and shrimp. The idea for the Old Bay Filet-O-Fish came from Mark Furr, a franchisee in Baltimore.

MCD does that. The McLobster Roll was traditionally only available in New England, where real lobster rolls are thick upon the ground. The logic is “regional favorites,” but if I want a food my region is known for, I have plenty of other options.

I don’t get why you’re ripping Micky D’s over this. Over other stuff? Sure. But this is no different than Wendy’s adding “dill” to the tartar sauce on their fish sandwich, or Arby’s adding a slice of cheese to theirs. This is what businesses do: they re-purpose and re-package content with what they have available, because it keeps their costs down. No need to rip a business for what is standard industry practice both inside and outside the QSR world.